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The Importance of Free Play – It’s OK to Just Play

Is your child getting enough unstructured play time each day? With the very scheduled lives that most children have these days, it’s important to fit in some free time for your preschooler. Not only does it give your child time to unwind, but her intelligence and creativity are further developed during free play as she figures out how things work on her own.

Benefits of Free Play
Why is unstructured play so important? Free play is vital to both the physical and emotional well-being of children. Some of the benefits include:

Enhances self-confidence

Develops creativity

Fosters independence

Helps children overcome fears

Teaches children to share and settle disagreements with others

Encourages children to exercise decision-making skills

Helps children discover areas of interest on their own

Keeps children active, helping ward off obesity

Develops social skills

Encourages children to interact with their peers

Encourages discovery and learning without self-consciousness that is sometimes present with structured learning

Alleviates the effects of pressure and stress

And of course, it’s fun!

Examples of Free Play
Free play is any unstructured activity that inspires your child to use her imagination without constant adult direction. Examples include:

Neighborhood children playing together in the backyard…perhaps a game of hopscotch or kickball. This is a great way for children to meet their daily physical activity requirements.

Going to the playground to swing, slide, or just run around

Creating artwork such as drawing, coloring, or painting. What a great way for your child to freely express herself!

Reading storybooks of their choosing

Playing dress-up

Children need opportunities to play and explore freely. Daily free play prepares them to work well with others as they approach learning with a sense of enthusiasm.